Sharing my eco lifestyle journey & the natural products I love

Can you believe Week 2 of my How to Lose Belly Fat Challenge has come and gone?! After the huge boost of energy I got in Week 1 I was super amped to start taking my Shrink caps again. But…

I was a little disappointed…

It seems my body took a week to adjust to the effects of the all natural ingredients, particularly the green tea extract, and then normalised. So by week 2 there was a VERY NOTICEABLE difference in energy levels between week 1 and week 2. I mean, let’s face it, my energy levels in week 1 were insane! It was bordering on insomnia. I am sure that that kind of energy can’t be maintained without doing some serious damage to one’s health. We all know how lack of sleep contributes to weight gain… Our bodies need the rest to regenerate and work on that belly fat! It’s not like my energy levels were lower in week 2 than before I started taking Shrink either… It was just an adjustment going from super-energy-woman to maintainable-energy-woman.

I definitely got more sleep in Week 2 of the How to Lose Belly Fat Challenge!

Then there was the bizarre weather!

We had rain, snow (in the mountains) and winter-like temperatures for most of the week.

Perhaps because I was grappling with the variance in my energy, bootcamp was a bit of a challenge. I went from noticing my endurance improving in week 1 to struggling to keep up in week 2. Two of the 5 bootcamp sessions were rained out and I missed half a bootcamp session because my kiddies slept in one morning. It was a bit of a shambles!

Hmmm… Clearly not enough Bootcamp!

I feel I did well “in the kitchen”…

We all know the saying, “abs are made in the kitchen”, well belly fat is made there too!

I decided to consciously avoid carbs and cut sugar out all together, except for some fruit here and there, this week. On Monday after my weigh-in with Lelani, from Lanifit Outdoor Bootcamp, she suggested that I take my Shrink caps first thing when I wake up. That way my metabolism starts earlier. Now why didn’t I think of that?! She also suggested that I try FutureLife (chocolate is her favourite), as my post capsule brekkie, since it is high in protein and is not too heavy on the stomach. Especially important since I wake up between 4.30am and 5am every day!

I first had it with full cream milk, and it was like a chocolate milkshake! The second time I had it with water as a shake and it was also pretty good. It is non-GMO, Low GI, and High in Omega 3 as well as protein… BUT the sugar content worries me. I am particularly susceptible to sugar, and it just tasted too sweet. I asked my mama tribe about it and there was a mixed response. Most agreed that the sugar content was too high and some said it didn’t make too much of a difference because I am exercising so often. In the end I decided to rather try a “whole” food rather than a processed food for these early morning brekkies. I made overnight chia seed and coconut cream breakfast jars twice, otherwise I had some almonds until I could have a proper breakfast.

It wasn’t all angelic meals though…

I had one cheat meal on Tuesday night. I went to a braai, had sweet potato bake (I subbed sweet potato instead of potato to make it a little healthier), broccoli in cheese sauce, a variety of meat and salad. It was delicious. I also made chocolate brownies from my Aunt’s amazing recipe. They were sticky-good! Although I probably could’ve skipped the dessert!

During the week my weight dipped to just under 70kg. I was winning at this weight loss thing. By Friday I noticed that my back fat rolls… You know, those ones that form just above the love handle curves, between your shoulder blades and love handles… had disappeared! I was shocked and elated! I took pictures! Where the rolls had been I only had dents. I actually couldn’t believe my eyes.

Where I had lost some rolls in the week, the weekend added the belly fat (and back fat) back.

The wheels started coming off when I ate not 1 but 2 homemade pizzas on white flour wraps for dinner on Friday night. But at least it wasn’t take-aways, right?! I had a full day workshop on Saturday, and made sure I took my own lunch with… However, I caved when everyone else decided to go to a nearby restaurant because I didn’t want to stay and eat my lunch all by myself… FOMO! Does it count that I chose to have a salad with my grilled fish and calamari?! I consoled myself with the fact that I would eat my healthy lunch for dinner. Except when I got home Nico had ordered take-away burgers! I know, I didn’t have to eat the Double Bacon Cheese Guac burger leering at me… Let’s just say it was a particularly low point in my weekend!

I managed to redeem myself slightly on Sunday when the kids returned with their dad and caramel dip ice cream cones! I would not cave. Phew, at least I dodged that bullet! Still, belly fat – 1 me – 0.

I feel I need to add a disclaimer… I am not one for precision when it comes to weighing food and measuring calories! Where possible I will add the ingredients individually when I can’t find a meal closest to what I ate, otherwise sometimes I just use what I think is the closest in calories. This is more of an indication than a scientific recording 🙂

Speaking of sweet temptations…

Besides being tempted by the physical presence of the ice cream (but not really because we all know these things tend to disappoint the taste buds), I experienced zero cravings in week 2! Even though I was slightly stressed and hustling hard. Seriously… no emotional eating. That has definitely been a huge benefit to taking Shrink.

Another thing is that even though it is an appetite suppressant I still experience hunger. It’s not like I am not eating at all. I just eat when I’m hungry as opposed to all.the.time. And not all.the.chocolate either. BONUS!

I managed to keep up with my water goals, more or less!

And the results of the week are…

Body Measurements

As you can tell I was not too excited about my weigh-in on Monday… If I had been weighed on Friday I believe there would’ve been a far greater difference in my weight. However, I don’t think that my results are too shabby either!

I have highlighted this week’s measurements where I lost weight / centimeters. So as far as weight goes, there is only 300g difference between this week and last week, I was hoping for another 1kg loss, but now I have learnt to watch my eating habits on the weekend. The GREAT news, however, is that I lost 1cm of my belly fat (whoop whoop!) and 1 cm on my thighs! I don’t know what the neck measurement indicates, but my neck is thinner too 🙂

Age: 39

Height: 1.65m

Full Body Shot Photos

I am definitely noticing that my belly is flatter. I seem to be developing some definition, where my belly fat made my tummy round when I started, I am seeing definition between my bust and my belly. I hope that makes sense!

Do you have any questions for me on taking fat burners, losing weight or Bootcamp? Ask away in the comments! I love your comments of encouragement and words of advice too!

I was sent 1 bottle of Shrink: slimming made easy Dietary Supplement capsules to try out for this challenge

Looking Great! And any progress is progress. It got on a bit at a time n will fall off a little bit at a time too.
Being female is hard: cravings, hormones, water retention, uterus swelling during your period blah blah. So the scale isn’t everything (read that again) and you are absolutely looking H O T.
Respect, for being honest about a trying week. Onward and upward now! Well done.

Hi! I’m Victoire, a South African homeschooling mom of two gorgeous preschoolers.

My eco lifestyle journey began a few years ago when I started cloth diapering my daughter. My awareness about my family’s impact on the environment, and the effect of the toxins in the products we were using just took off from there!

I have been blogging for over 10 years, and love the ability it gives me to share my passion for natural home, beauty and skin care products with you, my readers! I want to help you find the right natural products, available here in South Africa, for your lifestyle needs.